CHISINAU – During a visit to Chisinau, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier pledged Berlin to provide aid of 10 million euros ($ 11.6 million) to support the reform program launched by the Moldovan president Maia Sandu.

“I brought with me a small package worth around 10 million euros through which we will provide expertise, because we know that when it comes to developing public sector reforms, we need expertise, as well as to ensure the security of energy, healthcare and regional cooperation, ‘Steinmeier said following interviews with Sandu in the Moldovan capital on September 29.

The European Union needs a stable and prosperous eastern neighborhood, and reforms in Moldova are important for the whole region, said Steinmeier, whose two-day visit is the first by a German president to the country of Eastern Europe.

Sandu called for an increase in German investment in one of the poorest countries in Europe.

The Moldovan president took office after defeating the outgoing Russian-backed president Igor Dodon in an election in November 2020.

An economist trained in the United States, she has since pushed for closer ties between the former Soviet republic and the EU, and has set herself the goals of fighting corruption and stopping the mass emigration that has hit the country’s economy.

During his visit, which will end on September 30, Steinmeier will also meet with Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita and open a German-Moldovan business forum with Sandu.

He is accompanied by a commercial delegation.

With report by dpa

Copyright (c) 2018. RFE / RL, Inc. Republished with permission from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Washington DC 20036